Hockey World Cup In Odisha: High-Level Meeting Promises To Deliver Memorable Event

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is leaving no stone unturned to set global benchmarks during the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela next January.

Having successfully hosted the Men’s World Cup hockey meet successfully four years ago, the state administration is looking to ensure that the marquee event is even bigger and better than the 2018 edition.

A meeting at the CMO level involving top government officials — including Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra, Private Secretary to Chief Minister (5T) VK Pandian, Principal Secretaries and heads of different departments — was held at Lok Seva Bhawan on Monday. Other officials from Cuttack and Rourkela administration joined through video conferencing.

Stressing on the challenges of the 2023 event, as it will be held in two cities simultaneously, the Chief Secretary added, “We are confident of ensuring a smooth, successful and memorable World Cup for players, officials, fans and spectators. We are eagerly looking forward to welcoming the top teams of the world. There are certain areas that need special attention and we will be reviewing the development periodically.”

“Different government departments worked seamlessly and efficiently, and executed an exceptional event in 2018 that made a global impact on our image, and the same has been asked of them for this edition. In fact, we are hoping to better the last by adding new aspects to draw in more crowd, engage fans and also positively impress the visiting tourists,” Mahapatra added.

Pandiyan said it’s a matter of great pride that Odisha has got the opportunity to host Men’s Hockey World Cup for second time, and that too at two different venues.

“This has never happened before and we should be extremely proud of this. Odisha has set a benchmark in hosting international events. Hon’ble Chief Minister (Naveen Patnaik) has directed us to use this World Cup as an opportunity to showcase not only Odisha’s capability as a remarkable host but also the art, culture and heritage of the state,” the Private Secretary to Chief Minister (5T) said.

He encouraged all department heads to come together and ensure players and fans have a memorable experience and return as brand ambassadors.

Presenting the roadmap ahead, Vineel Krishna said that the construction of infrastructure and facilities in co-host city Rourkela is going on in full swing and the development is being monitored closely and will be ready in the coming months.

Upgradation and beautification of Rourkela has been taken up by the district administration, while in Bhubaneswar, new turfs have already been laid at Kalinga Hockey Stadium and are match ready.

Also discussed at today’s meeting were requirements, roles and responsibilities for different areas including Security, Fire Safety, Transport, Connectivity, Accommodation, Tourism, Information & Technology, Finance, Public Works for overall smooth and successful hosting of the World Cup.